Just realized how many guys are installing door locks wrong on modernizations

I was out on a service call yesterday at an office building in downtown Portland and found the door lock contacts were totally misaligned. The mechanic before me had the gap set at almost 1/4 inch too wide. You gotta check the manufacturer spec sheet, the gap needs to be 1/8 inch on most Otis models or the door won't seat right. How many of you actually pull out the manual or do you just wing it like the last guy?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_west7d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though? I've been doing this for like 15 years and I've never touched a spec sheet for door gap. You gotta have some feel for it, right? If the door cycles smooth and the contacts line up, who cares if its 1/8 or 1/4 inch? I bet half the time the manual is for a different revision anyway. You sure the old guy wasn't just making it work for the building's worn out frame?

holly_henderson866d ago

Door gaps don't need to be perfect, the lock just needs to work and the door needs to close tight. You're overthinking a spec that doesn't matter in a building with sagging frames.